Resident jailed 30 years for rape

MASWA: THE Maswa District Court in Simiyu Region has sentenced Jumanne Clement (23), a resident of Ngudu Village in Kwimba District, Mwanza Region, to serve 30 years in prison for raping and impregnating a 15-yearold secondary school student (name withheld).

The sentence was handed out on Thursday by the Court’s Senior Resident Magistrate Enos Misana, where in addition to the punishment, the accused was ordered to pay the victim 500,000/-.

Initially, the court heard the case from the Republic side, which was represented by Senior State Attorney Violeth Mushumbusi and the prosecutor from the National Prosecuting Office in the district, Assistant Inspector of Police, Vedastus Wajanga.

The accused was facing three charges, including rape contrary to sections 130(1)(2)(e) and 131(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 16 as amended in 2022 while the second charge was related to impregnating a student contrary to section 60A(3) of the Education Act, Chapter 353 as amended in 2002.

The third offence was related to abduction contrary to sections 134 and 35 of the Penal Code, Chapter 16, 2022.

In the description of the offences, it was alleged that on 20 April 2024 at night in Jijabilishi Village in Maswa District, the accused raped and then impregnated a Form Two student.

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It was stated that the 15-year-old student, whose name has been withheld in accordance with the law to protect the child’s safety, was later taken to house of the accused person in Kwimba District, Mwanza Region to live with as husband and wife.

The prosecution presented five witnesses and submitted four exhibits, including the victim’s PF3 and a warning statement given to the accused.

The accused was also given an opportunity to present his defence, during which he requested the court to consider a reduced sentence, citing that it was his first offence and that his family depended on him.

Immediately after the defence, the court convicted him on all three counts, where in the first and the second offences he was sentenced to 30 years in prison while for the third offence, the accused was sentenced to five years in prison along with paying compensation of 500,000/- , According to the judge, all sentences are served concurrently